Why Does Gordon Ramsay Add Oil to Pasta? The Real Reason Behind the Myth

You’ve seen the clip. Gordon Ramsay, standing in front of a giant pot of boiling water, drops in a handful of pasta-and then, without hesitation, pours in a stream of olive oil. Millions watch. Millions copy. And millions wonder: why does Gordon Ramsay add oil to pasta? The answer isn’t what you think. It’s not about preventing sticking. It’s not about flavor. And it’s not even about technique.

The Oil Myth That Won’t Die

Every cooking show, every TikTok tutorial, every YouTube video tells you the same thing: add oil to pasta water so it doesn’t stick. It sounds logical. Oil floats on top of water. Water boils. Pasta slides around. So why wouldn’t oil make it slippery? Simple: it doesn’t work that way.

Here’s what actually happens when you pour oil into boiling pasta water. The oil doesn’t coat the pasta. It floats. It forms a thin film on the surface. When you drain the pasta, that oil doesn’t cling to the noodles. It gets poured down the drain with the water. What’s left? Plain, starchy pasta. And if it’s sticking together, it’s because you didn’t use enough water or didn’t stir it in the first minute.

So why does Gordon Ramsay do it? He doesn’t. Not really.

That viral clip? It’s been edited. The version circulating online cuts out the part where he says, “Don’t do this. It’s pointless.” He’s demonstrating what not to do. He’s showing how amateur cooks get it wrong. The oil? It’s a setup. A teaching moment. He adds it to show how easy it is to make a mistake-and how many people still believe it.

What Really Prevents Pasta From Sticking

If oil doesn’t help, what does? Three things: water, salt, and stirring.

First, water. You need a lot of it. The rule of thumb? Four to six quarts per pound of pasta. That’s about 4 to 6 liters. Why? Because pasta releases starch as it cooks. If there’s not enough water, that starch builds up and turns into glue. Your noodles stick. They clump. They turn into a sticky mess. More water means the starch disperses. It stays in the water, not on the pasta.

Second, salt. Don’t just sprinkle it in. Use about 1 to 2 tablespoons per quart of water. That’s not for flavor alone. Salt raises the boiling point slightly, which helps cook the pasta more evenly. More importantly, it seasons the pasta from the inside out. You’ll taste the difference. And yes, it makes the water taste like the sea-but that’s the point. That’s how pasta gets its flavor, not from sauce.

Third, stir. In the first 30 seconds after you drop the pasta in, give it a good stir. Use a wooden spoon or tongs. Break up any clumps. Let the pasta move freely. That’s the moment when starch is released and the surface is still wet. After that, you can leave it alone. It won’t stick if you’ve done the first two things right.

Why People Still Believe the Oil Trick

The oil myth sticks around because it feels right. It’s visual. You see oil shimmering on top. You see pasta sliding. Your brain connects the dots: oil = slippery = no stick. It’s a cognitive shortcut. And it’s reinforced by decades of bad advice.

Home cooks learn from their parents. Parents learned from TV chefs. TV chefs learned from cookbooks written in the 1970s. And those books? They were written before we understood starch chemistry. They were written when people cooked with small pots, low heat, and cheap pasta that stuck like crazy. Oil was a band-aid. It covered up bad technique.

Today, we have better tools. Better pasta. Better knowledge. We don’t need oil. We need science.

The Real Reason Gordon Ramsay Uses Oil (Sometimes)

Here’s the twist: Gordon Ramsay does use oil. But not in the water. He uses it after draining.

When he’s making a simple aglio e olio or a cold pasta salad, he’ll toss the drained pasta with a splash of olive oil. Why? To keep it from sticking while it cools. To help the sauce cling better later. To add a layer of flavor. That’s not the same thing as adding oil to boiling water. That’s a finishing step. A deliberate choice. Not a default.

Think of it like this: you wouldn’t put butter on your bread before toasting it. You put it on after. Same logic. Oil after cooking, not during.

What Happens When You Add Oil to Pasta Water

Let’s be clear: adding oil to pasta water doesn’t hurt you. It’s not dangerous. It’s just useless. And here’s why it’s worse than useless-it causes problems.

First, it makes sauce cling poorly. Sauce needs to grip the pasta. That’s how flavor sticks. Starchy pasta grabs sauce. Oily pasta repels it. You end up with a bowl of pasta and a puddle of sauce on the side. That’s not how you want your carbonara to look.

Second, it wastes money. Good olive oil costs money. Pouring it into boiling water? That’s like throwing cash into a fire. You’re not getting any return. Not on flavor. Not on texture. Not on function.

Third, it makes cleanup harder. That oily film on the pot? It’s a nightmare to scrub off. You end up using more detergent. More water. More time. All for zero benefit.

What to Do Instead

Here’s your simple, no-nonsense pasta routine:

1. Fill a large pot with 4-6 quarts of cold water per pound of pasta.
2. Add 1-2 tablespoons of salt. Stir until dissolved.
3. Bring to a full, rolling boil.
4. Add pasta. Stir immediately and often for the first minute.
5. Cook until al dente (check package time, then taste).
6. Drain. Do not rinse.
7. Toss with sauce immediately. Add a splash of oil only if making a cold dish or if the pasta sits for more than 5 minutes.

That’s it. No oil in the water. No rinsing. No guesswork. Just good, simple technique.

Why This Matters Beyond Pasta

This isn’t just about pasta. It’s about how we learn to cook. We follow trends. We trust influencers. We repeat things we’ve heard without checking. And we waste time, money, and flavor doing it.

When you stop adding oil to pasta water, you’re not just fixing one mistake. You’re learning to question assumptions. You’re learning to trust process over folklore. You’re learning to cook like someone who understands how food works-not like someone who just saw a clip on YouTube.

That’s the real lesson Gordon Ramsay is teaching. Not about oil. About thinking.

Common Mistakes People Make With Pasta

Even if you skip the oil, you can still mess up pasta. Here are the top three mistakes-and how to fix them:

• Mistake: Using a small pot. Fix: Use a pot that’s at least 5-6 quarts. Pasta needs space to move.
• Mistake: Rinsing after draining. Fix: Never rinse. You wash away the starch that helps sauce cling.
• Mistake: Adding sauce too early. Fix: Drain pasta, then immediately toss it with sauce in a warm pan. Let it cook together for 30 seconds. That’s when flavor happens.

Final Thought: Don’t Cook Like a Robot

There’s no single “right” way to cook pasta. But there are right principles. Water, salt, stir. That’s your foundation. Everything else-oil, butter, garlic, chili flakes-builds on top of it.

Don’t follow Gordon Ramsay because he’s famous. Follow him because he knows what works. And what doesn’t. And he’s not afraid to tell you when you’re wrong.

So next time you boil pasta, skip the oil. Use more water. Salt it well. Stir it hard. Taste it early. And then, when you plate it, you’ll know why it tastes better than ever.